Construction Toys

Construction has become one of the world's most popular toy categories. By encouraging a child to use their hands to create and learn dexterity, the enormous sense of achievement in the finished product is always plain to see. Building blocks have been in existence for over a century, but the undisputed king of toy construction is LEGO.

Founded in 1932 making wooden toys, the company soon progressed to using plastic as a moulding material. This led to the creation of their first building brick, with which the company is most strongly recognised. Many other companies have imitated LEGO, but none have had the same global success. Meccano, Brio and K’Nex are also big players in this group, and competitors selling magnetic variations have also emerged.

Wood has been, and still is, one of the most widely used materials for making these building toys. Nothing can compete with it for strength, warmth and feel. In the same mould are scale plastic model kits, sometimes containing hundreds of parts. These have to be glued together and then painted to make vehicles, soldiers and spaceships, or almost anything you can imagine.